Finding the Kingdom

Gospel: Luke 17: 20-25

"The reign of God is already in your midst."  It has been here the entire time.  Why have we not seen it? We have been too occupied with our illusory kingdoms.  We begin with those we imagine existed in some idyllic past - ancient Israel, the early church, Medieval times, the 1950's, the 1960's - but these are all illusions and false gods.  The kingdom did exist there and in all other times, but not in the way we imagine.

Then we move to building the kingdom of God on earth.  We have one project undertaken by the pro-life culture warrior group with their construction project.  On the other hand we have the project of social justice warriors building a kingdom as well.  Both are false gods and illusions as well, for they too imagine a political Messiah that Jesus decidedly was not and is not.  

The kingdom of God exists in the heart and being of every person, for every person is a temple of God, an image and likeness of God.  Once we understand and appropriate this fact, then our entire reality changes and we see the kingdom all around us.  We come to live in an entirely new way, a way of mercy and love, bringing these to every person no matter where they are or who they are.  The kingdom is not a place or set of buildings; it is a way of living and being.